Donald Trump may be drawn into double agent Sergei Skripal’s ‘poisoning’

Police are ­checking links between Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and a dossier produced by former spy Christopher Steele.

Former Russian military intelligence colonel Sergei Skripal attends a hearing at the Moscow District Military Court in Moscow in 2006. Picture: AFP

Security analysts say police are ­investigating links between critically ill Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and Christopher Steele, the British former spy who compiled an explosive dossier on US President Don­ald Trump.

The diplomatic relationship between Britain and Russia has nose­dived over the suspected daylight poisoning of Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, southern England, on Monday (AEDT).

But Mr Trump could be drawn into the chilling episode if Mr Skripal is linked to Mr Steele’s 2015 dossier, which detailed alleged collusion between Mr Trump and Russia.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson warned that England could even pull out of the soccer World Cup to be hosted by Russia in June if it is confirmed that the Skripals were poisoned by Kremlin-backed associates.

Counter-terrorism police took command of the investigation yesterday amid fears the victims — who were fighting for their lives in hospital — may have been poisoned by a nerve agent. Tests have been conducted for substances including sarin gas and VZ, the chemical nerve agent used to kill Kim Jong-nam, the brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Police are looking at the security footage to identify a blonde woman with a red bag, who was initially thought to be Yulia Skripal.

Yulia Skripal, the daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. Picture: Facebook/ AP

Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, told The Telegraph: “What we know is that Steele was our man in Russia, that he was extremely good. We know that what MI6 does is gain intelligence from human agents. You put all these things together, it is clear that ­either directly or indirectly Sergei Skripal would have been known to Christopher Steele.’’

Mr Steele was in Moscow in the early 1990s when Mr Skripal was passing information to MI6.

1300x1150 px __ Russian spy and a history of poisons

He was the chief of the Russia desk in 2006 when he headed the investigation into the fatal poisoning of Russian informer Alexander Litvinenko in a Mayfair hotel. A British inquiry found his killing was probably sanctioned by the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Steele left the agency just before the 2010 spy swap resulted in Mr Skripal and three others being taken to Britain in return for 10 US-based Russian spies.

“If it is the case that Christopher Steele produced a dossier on Trump that is authentic and ­accurate, as we believe it to be — its accuracy has not been seriously undermined — then anybody who feels that Trump was humiliated and dissed by an MI6 officer may feel that getting at one of his agents is justified,” Professor Glees said. “That could be the Russian security services.”

Mr Skripal, a former army intelligence colonel, had feared for his life since his wife and son had died within five years, due to cancer and liver issues, reports said. His daughter has criticised Mr Putin on social media.

Mr Johnson told parliament that if the Putin regime were behind the poisoning “we will have to have a serious conversation about our relationship with Russia” .

“It will be difficult to see how UK representation at the World Cup can go ahead in the normal way,” he said. “I say to governments around the world that no ­attempt to take innocent life on UK soil will go either unsanctioned or unpunished.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokes­woman Maria Zakharova described the comments as words of “savagery”. The Russian embassy in London said the Foreign Secretary spoke as if the investigation was already over and Russia was found responsible. “Looks like the script of yet another anti-Russian campaign has been already written,” the statement said.